To celebrate the one-year anniversary of the DISH Hopper DVR, the company revamped the platform by increasing its processor speed and memory, adding Sling Whole-Home HD DVR for remote viewing and transferring recorded content to an iPad, and creating an app for enhanced viewing on the tablet.

"The major quest facing DISH today is, 'how do we top the Hopper?'" said DISH CEO Joe Clayton, after he and his kangaroo mascot strutted on stage dressed like the Blues Brothers. Clayton even launched into a fairly serviceable rap that outlined the direction of the company.

That direction is about differentiating the company in a mature market by delivering products and services that meet the demands of a growing customer base that is glued to its mobile devices.

"The family is rapidly moving beyond two or three TVs in the home. Now it's about mobile devices," Clayton said. "We'll give our customers what they want, when they want it, wherever they want it."

To do so, DISH will add Sling to all of its future Hopper DVRs. The second-generation Hopper is designed to let DISH subscribers watch live and recorded content almost anywhere on an Internet-connected device using the DISH Anywhere app for no additional charge. Consumers can also move recorded programs to an iPad without an Internet connection using the new Hopper Transfer app.

The new DISH Explorer app for iPad combines TV, social media, and remote-control capabilities. The app highlights trending TV programs based on real-time TV viewer data and social media measurements. Consumers can also use it to communicate about the shows they are watching on Twitter and Facebook. Explorer works with all Hopper models.